NDS enables Canal HD DVR upgrade

NDS has announced the deployment of a new version of its MediaHighway middleware that allows subscribers to upgrade standard HD boxes into digital video recorders. Subscribers to Canal+ and CanalSat in France can attach an external hard drive via the USB port on their existing HD set-top box to have a fully functional DVR facility.

In the UK market, Sky went straight to an HD DVR, however in continental European operators including Canal and Premiere – where NDS also supplies the middleware – launched without the DVR technology in order to speed up the time to market. As well as the upgrade the NDS technology also provides a useful long-term storage mechanism. The MediaHighway middleware automatically detects the presence of an external hard drive.

UPC, which uses the OpenTV middleware but relies on an Ethernet port rather than USB, has announced an HD PVR though it is yet to launch.

Canal launched its first HD box two years ago and has reached 250,000 deployments. A list of approved hard drives is available on the Canal+ website and a marketing campaign is underway.

Related

About Julian Clover

Julian Clover is a Media and Technology journalist based in Cambridge, UK. He works in online and printed media. Julian is also a voice on local radio. You can talk to Julian on Twitter @julianclover, on Facebook or by email at jclover@broadbandtvnews.com.

Feature

Broadband TV News speaks to Comigo COO Amir Eilat. Based in Israel and the United States, Comigo uses intelligence-based algorithms to enable TV service and content providers to create new revenue streams from a contextual services. … [Read More...]

Just about all aspects of the OTT industry are being massively restructured. Rapid changes in technology, user behavior, and business models, have created a gap between how consumers want to experience and pay for entertainment & media and how companies produce and distribute their offerings. … [Read More...]

Hosted Content

In the service provider market, revenue margins are declining. According to Digital TV Research, pay-TV revenues will fall in North America by $12 billion, $566 million in Western Europe, and $28 million in Eastern Europe by the year 2022. … [Download this Paper ...]

As a trusted and reliable partner and systems integrator serving major telecom, cable TV, satellite TV and internet companies in Bulgaria and the Balkan region, Unicoms Trading, was recently looking for a way to support its customers by addressing the growing demand for over-the-top (OTT) content consumption. … [Download this Paper ...]